Escape
by Hkokuryuha
Summary: Harry is sent to live with his relatives who end up abusing him. On a trip to London he meets a snake that tells him about the magical world. The snake decides to stay with him and becomes his Guardian.
1. The Begining

**Escape**

A/N: This is my first Harry Potter fic so please go easy. If you have any suggestions or ideas they are always welcome.

Summary: Harry is sent to live with his relatives who end up abusing him. On a trip to London he meets a snake that tells him about the magical world. The snake decides to stay with him and becomes his Guardian.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Please don't sue. Thank you.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

**October 25-31, 1981**

** Godrics Hollow**

Lilly and James Potter were excited that day as they got their three closest friends together to plan a Halloween party for their son. Everyone had tons of ideas for the party decorations and Remus Lupin was having a hard time restraining his friend Sirius Black from making them dangerous. Not that Sirius would ever do anything to harm his godson but he was a very good practical joker. Sirius kept coming up with ideas for the entertainment and Remus had to veto them. Eventually it was decided that they would all have to spend the week planning, unfortunately one of their friends couldn't meet with them at all during the next week. Peter Pettigrew said that he was making his own surprise for Harry and that he wouldn't be available till the party on the 31st. Lilly told him that it was okay as long as he still went to the party. So before everyone left they made plans to meet again the next day.

That week went as expected the four friends met every day to plan some new part of the party. Soon it was the day before the party and everyone was tired so they all went home early. James was finishing the cleaning while Lilly was putting Harry to bed. Their friends had left about an hour ago so they weren't expecting the knock on the door. James went to answer it since Lilly was still upstairs. He was surprised to see Peter standing there but invited him in.

"What's going on Peter? It's kind of late and Lilly is already putting Harry to bed."

"Oh that's ok. I just wanted to bring by my surprise for Harry."

It wasn't until they were inside that he noticed the other person with Peter and then he was hit with the killing curse. He never got to warn his wife that something was wrong so it took her by surprise when Peter and the Dark Lord Voldermort walked into her child's room. She kissed Harry on the head and told him that she loved him and then she turned to face her ex-friend and his master. Lilly was brave in the face of her death. She tried everything she could to save her son but in the end she died anyways.

The Dark Lord laughed at her and then turned to her son, the one who was supposed to defeat him. He cast the killing curse one more time but instead of killing the child it bounced back and struck him. Peter didn't know what was going on so he started to back out of the room. He watched as his lord was destroyed by the reflected curse. As the Dark Lords body disintegrated a black cloud like essence escaped but Peter didn't really pay much attention to it.

Peter watched as a deep green light wound around Harry but couldn't watch for long as he heard someone entering the house. He ran halfway down the stairs and found Sirius standing over James's body. He started down the stairs more slowly this time but stopped again when Sirius looks up. There was disbelief in his eyes as he saw one of his friends in the robes of a Death Eater. Peter ran the rest of the way down the stairs and went out the kitchen door.

Sirius couldn't believe that one of his friends had betrayed them. He went upstairs and found Lilly lying in front of Harry. By then the green glow was gone. Harry is just staring at his mother sadly as if he already knew exactly what had happened. Knowing that he can do nothing for his friends he takes their son and decides to get revenge for them. By the time he gets downstairs again Hagrid is there. When he sees Hagrid he hands him Harry and tells him to wait for Dumbledore. That way he would know for sure that Harry was safe. Sirius gives Hagrid his flying motorcycle and heads off to find Peter.

"Professor Dumbledore sir, over here."

Hagrid calls to Dumbledore a few minutes after Sirius leaves.

"Hagrid what is going on here? Where are James and Lilly?"

"I'm sorry sir, I got here too late. When I got here Sirius was just coming out of the house. He handed me Harry, told me to wait for you and then left. I'm not to sure what happened sir, but it's not good"

Dumbledore enters the house with Remus, who had gone to get him while Sirius went to check on the Potters, and finds the bodies of Lilly and James. When they come out again Remus is too upset to think clearly and after Dumbledore promises to take care of Harry he goes off in search of Sirius.

"Hagrid I want you to wrap Harry up and take him to Hogwarts. When you get there tell Minerva to go to my office, I will need to speak with her."

Professor Dumbledore apparated to the gates of Hogwarts and headed to his office. He needed to tell the Ministry of Magic about what happened at Godrics Hollow that night. No one wanted to hear about the Potter's deaths but they were all relieved when they were told that Harry had survived. Dumbledore told them that it appeared that when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named tried to kill Harry and the curse was bounced back towards the caster. He also told them that he would try to find Harry a home with his muggle relatives so that the boy could live in peace. Everyone agreed that would be best for a child and Dumbledore was given permission to use his best judgment.

After Professor Dumbledore was done speaking with the Ministry Minerva arrived at his office door. She was frantic since Hagrid wouldn't really explain anything to her. As soon as the door to the office closed she started bombarding the Headmaster with questions.

"What is going on? Hagrid came to me and told me to see you. When I asked him what was going on he said he didn't have time to explain because he had to get back to the infirmary. He said something horrible happened to the Potters. Are they all right? Is someone hurt?"

It took a few minutes but he managed to calm her down. He made her sit down and drink a cup of tea before he would explain anything. After she drank the tea and inadvertently the calming drought in the tea he told her of Lord Voldermort's attack.

"I am sorry to have to say this but James and Lilly Potter are dead. The Dark Lord killed them a few hours ago. Fortunately their son Harry survived though he was injured. It seems the killing curse was bounced back from Harry and sent towards Voldermort. We aren't sure if the reflected curse killed him or not but it did destroy his body."

Dumbledore took a break to comfort Minerva as she had started to cry. He let her cry for the loss of her old students and tried to explain to her that they all had to be strong now for Harry. He told her of his plans to allow Harry a normal peaceful life without all the attention he would be sure to receive in the wizarding world.

"Minerva I know you are still grieving but I need for you to do something for me. I need someone to watch Harry's relatives and see if they would be a suitable family for him."

Professor McGonagall realized that the poor child would be traumatized at the moment and that it wouldn't get any better with how people were going to be treating him. They would be celebrating the defeat of the Dark Lord when really it was the day his parents died. She agreed to go look in on the relatives while Dumbledore took care of things with everyone else.

Minerva left and the Headmaster thought it would be best if he checked in on Harry. Poppy was tending to the child when Professor Dumbledore showed up.

"Ah, Albus I'm glad to see you. I wanted to go over this with you. It seems that young Harry here has a curse scar right here on his forehead. When Hagrid brought him in it was bleeding pretty badly and when I tried to heal it a scar formed instead. Other then that he seems to be in fine shape."

"Thank you Poppy and you too Hagrid for taking such good care of him. I have already informed the Ministry of the attack and have sent Minerva to watch the child's relatives. We will let Harry get some rest and then take him to his new family."

Poppy nodded while Hagrid beamed at the thanks the Headmaster given them. When he explained about Harry needing rest the medi-witch heartily agreed and shooed the other two out. Hagrid went back to his hut while Dumbledore went to check on the search for Sirius.

When Dumbledore arrived at the Ministry he was met by an auror and told that the criminal had been apprehended. He was surprised that they referred to Sirius as a criminal but went with him anyway. He was led to the Minister of Magic's office and told that everything would be explained. Dumbledore entered the office and was met by the Minister and two aurors.

"Professor Dumbledore, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but it appears that Sirius Black was a Death Eater and that he led his master to the Potter's home. Several aurors managed to catch up to him and a Peter Pettigrew in muggle London. They heard Mr. Pettigrew begging Black to stop what he was doing and think about Harry. It was reported that he said and I quote 'Please Sirius, how could you do that to your best friend. James didn't deserve that and especially not Lilly, poor Lilly.' A curse was cast then which killed Mr. Pettigrew and fifteen muggle bystanders; all that was found of Mr. Pettigrew was a finger. Rest assured we have Black in custody and he is on his way to Azkaban."

Dumbledore hadn't moved throughout the entire story. Even after the Minister was done speaking he just sat there. Eventually he came out of his shocked state and apologized to the Minister.

"I am sorry Minister it's just that I never expected Sirius of all people to be capable of doing something like that. I will speak with Peter's family of course. Thank you for taking the time to tell me personally."

"There is one other thing Professor Dumbledore. When we were apprehending Black someone tried to interfere. His name is Remus Lupin and we had to take him into custody as well. He seems to be in shock for the most part."

Dumbledore nodded and told them that he would take Remus with him back to Hogwarts. The aurors took him to the room were they kept Remus in and then escorted them both to the fire place where they flooed to Hogwarts. When they got there Remus seemed to come out of his shock a little and looked at Dumbledore.

"He didn't do it Albus. He couldn't have."

Professor Dumbledore was saddened to see someone he cared about in so much pain. He sat Remus down in a chair and brought him some tea, with a calming drought in it of course. After Remus finished the tea he seemed to be a bit better. Albus tried to talk with him, to help him come to terms with the fact that Sirius had betrayed them all.

"No Albus I mean he really couldn't have. He was with me when the wards on Godrics Hollow went off. He had stayed the night at my place so we could go to the Halloween party the next day. When the wards went off he told me to go get you and that he would check on Lilly and James."

Albus wasn't sure what to believe. He knew it was possible that Sirius had told the Dark Lord where Lilly and James lived and then met him there later. But he also knew that this was the only thing keeping Remus sane. It was a hard blow for anyone to have three of their closest friends killed because of a betrayal by the fourth. He also knew that Remus didn't have the most stable of minds to begin with. He wasn't sure what would happen to Remus but knew that it would take him time to accept it all.

Remus saw that Dumbledore didn't believe him and that he was only playing along for his sake. He didn't know what to do two of his friends were dead another was being sent to Azkaban while the one responsible for it all had disappeared. He stood up and looked at Dumbledore and decided to find Peter on his own.

"You'll look after Harry won't you? You will make sure that he stays safe right?"

Dumbledore assured Remus that Harry was being taken care of and that he would be safe no matter what. Remus nodded his thanks and said that he had to leave. Dumbledore was alarmed that Remus might try to do something foolish but was reassured when Remus said he just needed to rest. He walked Remus to the fireplace and said his goodbyes with one last promise that he would take care of Harry. Remus was gone and Dumbledore was a bit worn out himself. He decided he needed a rest and then he would tend to Harry.

A few hours later Professor Dumbledore had Hagrid meet him in the infirmary. They checked on Harry and Dumbledore told Hagrid that he was going to speak with Minerva about the muggles and that he should meet them at Number 4 Privit Drive with Harry. Dumbledore apparated to the muggles home and started looking for Minerva. While he was looking a tabby cat walked up and sat in front of him.

"There you are. Hagrid will be meeting us soon but I wanted to know what you thought of them first."

The tabby cat looked up at him and started to grow. Eventually it transformed into Professor McGonagall. She brushed at her clothes trying to get all of the imaginary dirt off before facing the Headmaster.

"I'm not sure about this Albus. They are the worst kind of muggles especially the father. I don't know if he will be all right here."

Albus saw the worry in his friend's eyes but also knew that the Dursley's had a son of their own. Their son was only a year older then Harry and he was sure it would all work out.

"It will be okay Minerva there is nothing to worry about. The Dursley's have a child and will know how to take care of Harry. Now here comes Hagrid with Harry."

Hagrid rode in on Sirius's motorcycle. After he landed and parked the bike he walked over to the two Professors. He gave Harry to Professor McGonagall and watch as she placed Harry in a basket and wrapped him in an extra blanket. Professor Dumbledore put Harry on the doorstep and pined a note to the blanket explaining what had happened. The three stepped away and took one last look at the sleeping baby before departing back to Hogwarts.

To Be Continued…

So what do you think? Please review. The next chapter will have the Dursley's finding Harry. Any suggestions or comments are always welcome.


	2. Meeting Kadian

**Escape**

A/N: This is my first Harry Potter fic so please go easy. If you have any suggestions or ideas they are always welcome.

Summary: Harry is sent to live with his relatives who end up abusing him. On a trip to London he meets a snake that tells him about the magical world. The snake decides to stay with him and becomes his Guardian.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Talking"

_-Speaking Parsletounge- _

**_-Mind Speaking Parsletounge- _**

'_Thoughts'_

Chapter 2: Meeting Kadian

November 1, 1981-1985 

**Number 4 Privit Drive**

Petunia Dursley had just gotten up the morning after that horrible holiday known as Halloween and was just getting her family breakfast when she heard crying. At first she thought that it was her son and started up the stairs to check on him. She realized though that the crying was coming from the living room. Going back down the stairs she looked all over for the source of the sound but couldn't find it. It wasn't until she was right next to the door that she thought of checking outside. When she opened the door she saw a basket with a baby wrapped tightly in a blue blanket. Not knowing whose child it was she picked him up and brought him into the kitchen. As she sat him on the counter a pin holding a note fell. She picked up the note and read it over and then had to read it over one more time to make sure she wasn't imagining it.

The note explained that an evil wizard had murdered her sister, Lily and her husband, James. It also said their son Harry was the only survivor. She was the only family the boy had left and the note asked that she take care of him. Petunia knew that she didn't always get along with her sister especially after they found out Lilly was a witch but that didn't change the fact that they were family and now her sister was dead. She felt horrible and spent the morning crying. That's how her husband Vernon found her when he got up an hour later, huddled over a baby crying her eyes out. Not knowing what was wrong he tried to comfort her but all she would say was 'Lilly…oh Lilly' while she handed him the letter. Vernon knew who Lilly was; he had met her when he was dating Petunia. He also knew that she was unnatural. She was a freak who could make things happen by waving a stick about. He was glad that his Petunia never got herself into any of that and couldn't understand why she was so upset. Reading the note over he looked up at his wife and saw that he couldn't really do anything about it at the time so he looked at the baby. Looking the boy over he noticed the scar on his forehead but what really stood out were those emerald green eyes, they were just like his mothers. Vernon couldn't stand those eyes so he went back to comforting his wife.

"Really dear you need to calm down. You're going to wear yourself sick if you keep on like this. There you go, take slower breaths, that's good. Now how about a nice cup of warm tea that will make you feel better."

He went about making her a cup of tea while she calmed down enough to talk. She told him that she was so sad because Lilly died. He let her talk it out but he still didn't understand why she was upset. He ended up asking her why she was upset since Lilly was just a freak. That made Petunia stop all of a sudden and she just stared at Vernon like she didn't know him. While it was true that Petunia and Lily didn't get along well after they were separated by Lily's magic, the fact remained that they were sisters and they would do anything for the other.

"She's dead Vernon. My sister and her husband are both dead. It doesn't matter what they could do she was still my sister. And now her son has nowhere else to go."

Vernon and Petunia sat there for a bit just looking at each other. It was like they had never met. They were both trying to understand the others point of view unfortunately neither could and they agreed to disagree.

Harry was allowed to stay since Petunia wanted him to and things moved on from there. He was mostly a quiet boy and things went fine for the first year he was there. About a year after Harry arrived Vernon got fed up with it all. He was sick of having to watch a freaks son. He was so frustrated that he didn't even realize what he was doing when he slapped Harry across the face. Harry hadn't really been doing anything he was just watching Vernon when all of a sudden his Uncle came across the room and hit him. They were both shocked neither of them knew what had just happened. Vernon couldn't believe he had just hit a child, a two year old at that. And suddenly he didn't care either. The boy had been staring at him with his freak of a mothers green eyes and it just got to be too much. He hit the boy again and told him to stop staring.

After that everything went downhill. At first Vernon would only hit Harry if they were alone and if he had done something wrong. But soon he had left enough bruises that Petunia started to get suspicious and didn't leave them alone anymore. When Vernon figured out what she was doing he decided he didn't care and hit Harry in front of her. She was shocked. She asked him what he thought he was doing and why would he ever hurt an innocent child. Vernon had been prepared for this though, after what she had said about Lilly he thought she might have the same notions about the boy. He told her that Harry was anything but an innocent child, that Harry was the reason her sister was dead. Petunia of course didn't believe him and told him not to touch Harry again.

Unfortunately that only made Vernon angrier and he started to hit her too. Of course Vernon didn't want to hurt his wife. He loved her and his son very much and could never think of doing anything to harm either of them. But right now Petunia was acting too much like her sister would and so he blamed it on Harry's freakishness. He told Petunia that he only hit her to help her see the truth and to help her get away from their nephew's control. Soon she found that if she just agreed with him he stopped hurting her. But when he stopped hitting her he went straight to Harry. He made sure to hit the boy in front of his wife to see if there would be any protest and to his immense delight there was none. At first Petunia felt sorry for the little boy and helped patch him up when he was hurt and she would always apologize. She felt awful about it but knew she couldn't do anything about it. The one time she tried to take Harry to the police she hadn't been believed. Vernon had told them that Harry was troubled over his parent's deaths and did dangerous things. He also told them that Petunia hadn't been the same since her sister had died.

Eventually though with Vernon saying bad things about Harry and that the boy had killed her sister she stopped helping him. By the time he was four she was even being cruel to him. Making him go for days without eating and giving him too many chores to do. While she was cruel to Harry she made sure that her son Dudley never found out about it. Dudley was spoiled rotten and didn't seem to care that his cousin did all of the chores or was never around. When his cousin was around Dudley often got him in trouble, which got Harry an extra beating though Dudley didn't know that.

Things stayed that way until sometime after Harry's fifth birthday. Everyone was going on a shopping trip to London even Harry since they couldn't find anyone to watch him. Dudley had thrown a fit about Harry going with them so they stopped at a park and told Harry to stay there until they came back for him. Not wanting to get in trouble he did as he was told. While he waited in the park he heard a low muttering sound about how stupid humans were. He looked around but there was no one near him. When the sounds didn't stop he said -_hello-_ hoping to find their source.

_-Well, well, well, what have I found here? A speaker is it? Now this is a rare treat. I haven't encountered one of your kind in a while. -_

Harry was confused and getting very scared. He saw the snake and figured out that he was somehow talking to it. Knowing that it was another of his 'freakish abilities' that his uncle wouldn't like he looked around quickly hoping no one saw him. Picking up the snake Harry walked under a tree and sat down.

_-Hello?-_ Harry tried speaking with the snake. Fortunately the snake seemed to realize that he was young and took pity on him.

_-Hatchling, where is your Guardian?-_

_-My Guardian? I don't have one. I have my relatives though, does that count?-_

_-Well do they take protect you? That is what a Guardian is for, protection.-_

_-Hmm…well they let me stay in the cupboard under the stairs and sometimes they feed me so is that protection?-_

At that the snake started hissing angrily. It coiled up and looked like it was going to strike. Then it wrapped itself around Harry's waist.

_-No hatchling that's not protection. That is wrong of them to do. Since you can Speak so well and since I like you I will become your Guardian. I will protect you and teach you to protect yourself.-_

Harry smiled at that. He was happy that he made a friend but then remembered whom he was living with. He knew his relatives would kill the snake if they saw it. And it was too big to hide easily. Harry told the snake this but it just laughed.

_-How do you think I get by in the muggle world? I am a magical snake I can hide pretty well.-_

With that the snake curled up around Harry and bit him. He looked around for it but it had disappeared. The snake was gone but there was a mark on Harry's chest where he had been bitten.

_-Ouch! That wasn't very nice of him. Why did he bite me?-_

_**-I have left my mark on you. You now belong to me. This symbol allows me to live in your magical core. It also allows us to speak to each other with our thoughts.- **_

_-Oh. Well how do I talk like you are? I think that would be better since my Uncle Vernon would be really mad if he ever heard me talking to you.-_

He heard a hissing laugh in his head and then the snake explained how to project his thoughts inwards. Harry's relatives came soon after that and they all went home. On the ride home he practiced speaking in his mind. It was difficult at first because he would start speaking in English instead of Parsletounge. While he was practicing he decided to get some answers out of the snake. He found out that the snakes name was Kadian and that there was a whole other world out there filled with magic and wonders. He also learned that he could be apart of that other world if he wanted to. They decided it would be best for Harry to at least learn some of the basics and then if he didn't want to learn anymore he didn't have to.

At first it was hard to get a schedule down, but eventually they figured out what kind of things his relatives expected of him and worked around that. Harry would get up at four in the morning and start his day off with meditation for about an hour and then he would practice with Kadian for another hour. After that he would fix breakfast for the Dursleys and then do his chores, during his chores Kadian would give him lessons on things he needed to know like history of the wizarding world and Pureblood tradition and things like that. When he was done with his chores and if his Uncle hadn't found anything wrong with his work then he would work with Kadian for the more practical stuff. He learned about all sorts of things like charms and curses and hexes. Kadian told him that normally a wizard would have a wand to help them perform the spells but since Harry was so young and couldn't get one they tried them wandlessly. It took a lot of energy at first but eventually it became second nature to Harry. That was how his life went from there on in.

Soon though Harry was getting old enough to do more things so Kadian told him about Diagon Alley. They knew that the Dursleys wouldn't let Harry leave so for a few weeks they practiced glamour spells. When Kadian approved of Harry's skill they made plans to leave after the Dursleys went to bed and catch the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron. Unfortunately the day they decided to leave his uncle thought he screwed up on his chores and punished him. When they finally managed to make it out of the house it was around midnight. Harry put up his glamour that made him look around twenty with shoulder length blond hair and lighter green eyes and darker skin. Kadian told Harry how to summon the Knight Bus but since he didn't have a wand he had to gather his magic in his hand and raise it like he would a wand. The bus popped in front of him, he climbed on and paid the fair with money he had taken out of his aunt's purse. It took around thirty minutes to reach London and then they were at the Leaky Cauldron. Even though it was past midnight there were still a few people in the pub. Most of them didn't look too friendly and some looked dangerous but no one really paid him any attention so he just went through and out the back. He walked up to the brick wall and asked Kadian what to do. The snake told him to gather his magic in his hand again and press it to the wall on certain bricks in a certain order. As soon as he did the wall opened up and they walked through. Since he was a night person Harry's first sight of Diagon Alley was even better then if he had waited until it was full of activity during the day. There was hardly anyone around and those that were there were probably dangerous but the street was clear and the sky was full of stars that lit up the Alley making everything shine. Most of the stores were closed but that was okay since Harry wanted to go to Gringotts and that was open all the time. Kadian had already told Harry what he would be doing when he went in so he was prepared when the goblin asked him what he wanted. He told them that he wanted access to his vault but that he didn't have his key. The goblin put a piece of parchment in front of him and handed him a dagger. Kadian had told him what to do so he took the dagger and cut his palm open. Then he made a fist over the parchment so the blood dripped on the top of the sheet. As soon as the blood touched writing started to appear. According to the parchment he had access to both the Potter and the Black vaults. He followed the goblin to what looked like an old mining cart.

"If you will step into the cart I will take you to your vaults."

Harry nodded and got in with the goblin. The first vault they stopped at was the Potters. Inside were mounds of gold, silver and bronze coins which he put into a pouch he had received at the front desk. The other vault had coins in it as well but since he already had his pouch full he looked around at the other things in there. He found a trunk and when he looked inside there was a ladder leading to a room that looked to be a library. He shrunk the trunk and put it in his pocket and then got back in the cart. On the way back home he picked up several owl order catalogues. Since he didn't have an owl yet he decided to buy one while he was out. It took a while but he eventually found a pet store that was open all night. He spent over half an hour looking at all the animals before one of the birds landed on his head. The shopkeeper came over and helped him get the bird down all the while apologizing profusely. Apparently the bird was a troublemaker. When Harry saw the bird, a snow-white owl, he knew that she was just misunderstood. He told the shopkeeper that he would take her, a cage and some food. The shopkeeper looked surprised at first but quickly went to get everything and made a point of telling Harry that there were no returns. Harry got home and let the owl out of her cage and told her to enjoy the night and that he would come for her in the morning so that she could sleep in the house. Harry spent most of his free time studying with Kadian or out of the books he found in the chest but some of it he used to practice with a set of daggers that the snake had suggested he get on one of their trips to Diagon Alley. Five years later when Harry turned eleven he finally received his Hogwarts letter. When his relatives found out his uncle got angry and beat him but his aunt's face had gone pale when she saw the paper. His uncle burned the letter and beat him until he was unconscious then locked him in the cupboard. It was the first time Dudley saw how his cousin was really treated and it shocked him. He hadn't thought his father could do that to anyone even his freak of a cousin. Eventually though he just came to the conclusion that his cousin deserved it. At first he was afraid of his dad but soon he realized that it was only his cousin that ever got in that kind of trouble. He also noticed that whenever a letter came addressed to his cousin, his father would take Harry down to the basement and sometimes they would stay there all day. Eventually a person came instead of the letter to find out why there had been no reply.

TBC…well how was it? Any suggestions or comments are always welcome so please review. Next chapter Harry goes to Diagon Alley and sees Hogwarts for the first time.


	3. Preparing for Hogwarts

**Escape**

A/N: This is my first Harry Potter fic so please go easy. If you have any suggestions or ideas they are always welcome.

Summary: Harry is sent to live with his relatives who end up abusing him. On a trip to London he meets a snake that tells him about the magical world. The snake decides to stay with him and becomes his Guardian.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Talking"

-Speaking Parsletounge- -Mind Speaking Parsletounge- 

'_Thoughts'_

Chapter 3: Preparations

Albus Dumbledore was usually a very confident person. He always knew what was going on everywhere and was often sought out for his opinion on things. Today though was a very bad day for the Hogwarts Headmaster. They had sent out the acceptance letters a week ago and while most of the students had replied, the one he was worried about had not. Harry Potter was supposed to start Hogwarts this year and Dumbledore was worried that maybe the wards hadn't been strong enough and Death Eaters had found the boy. While it was true that the Dark Lord Voldermort was gone it didn't mean that all of his supporters had gone with him. He had placed Harry with his muggle relatives because he thought the boy would be safe there and to make sure of that he had forbidden any wizarding person to go there. Now he wasn't so sure that it had been a good idea since no one had been able to check on him. There was a squib that lived close by and could give vague accounts of how the boy has been; there hadn't been any direct contact with him though so they had to trust to the Dursley's parenting. Unfortunately since there had been no response and no one had checked on the boy in ten years he was worried so he decided to send Hagrid to see what was wrong. The big man was more then happy to have a chance to see young Harry again and agreed right away.

When Petunia saw the man at her door she gave a loud shriek and very nearly fainted. Vernon came running in to the living room and saw the large man that had scared his wife and paled. Gathering himself he stepped towards the door and pulled Petunia to him.

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm 'ere to see why 'arry Potter 'asn't responded to 'is school letter."

Petunia looked decidedly nervous at that and Vernon turned from fearful to angry. He realized that this man was one of those freaks like Harry was and wanted the man as far away from his house as possible.

"I don't want you or your kind anywhere near here again. The boy didn't respond because he's not going. Do you understand that? I won't allow any of his freakishness in this house."

Vernon was red in the face before he finished his little rant. Hagrid was shocked to say the least; he had no idea that Harry Potter's relatives would be like this. He knew that muggles were sometimes weird towards magic but he had never met anyone who actually outright hated it. Hagrid tried again to ask politely to see Harry but he was only insulted again.

"That does it Dursley either you bring 'arry out 'ere right now or I'll turn the 'ole lot of you into the Ministry. Then we'll see 'ow you fare with the Aurors and the dementors."

At that Petunia paled even more and stuttered that she would go get the boy. Vernon looked confused for a minute and was about to ask what was going on when he realized that his wife had already left and came back with Harry. Vernon was going to ask what she thought she was doing but Petunia was too scared to pay him any attention.

"Here he is. We're sorry about before but you must understand that the poor boy is so traumatized that we thought it best if he just stayed here with us instead of returning to a place that would remind him so much of his poor parents. You must realize that the only thing we were ever really able to tell him was that his parents were a witch and a wizard and that another wizard killed them. He took their deaths very hard and gets scared around any kind of magic even simple card tricks. We just don't want to put him through anything like that again. You understand don't you?"

Hagrid looked ashamed of himself by the time Petunia had finished her simpering explanation. He knew very well that poor Harry would be upset over the loss of his parents and he had gone and threatened the only family the boy had left. Hagrid was so wrapped up in his guilt that he failed to notice the fierce glare Petunia sent Harry and the look of a later explanation to her husband.

"Of course you was only looking out for 'arry I'm sorry for treatin' you like I did. Everyone is just 'appy to get to see 'im again and worried that 'e 'adn't answered 'is letter. Well no matter you can rest assured that Professor Dumbledore will take care of 'im while 'e is away and 'e'll be back for both winter and summer 'oliday."

The Dursley's both nodded their acceptance and told Hagrid it would be fine for him to take Harry school shopping as they had no idea of where to go. Hagrid waited outside while Harry got ready to go.

"Now you listen here boy, you don't say one word about anything that goes on in this house or you'll get the worst beating of your life. Do you understand? Good. I want you to listen to everything he says and get your stuff so you can get back here quickly. Got that? Good now get your shoes on and hurry up."

Vernon pushed Harry towards his shoes that were lined up next to the door and walked away so that he could talk to his wife. As soon as he heard the door close he rounded on his wife and demanded an explanation. She told him that she knew some of the basics of the wizarding world so when Hagrid had threatened to get the Ministry involved she knew it would cause too many problems. She explained that Aurors were like magical cops and dementors were terrible creatures that sucked a person's soul away. They both agreed that it would be best if Harry just went to this school for a while. Besides that way they wouldn't have to deal with him except for a week in the winter and two months during the summer.

Harry walked cautiously next to the big man named Hagrid until they came to a large motorcycle. Hagrid climbed on and then told Harry to hop on back. When the bike started lifting into the air Harry was surprised and tensed. Kadian was wrapped around his neck and whispered into his ear, saying that it would be ok. It had an instant calming effect on Harry and the boy relaxed a great deal. When Kadian told him it was ok he knew that it really was. The first time Kadian had come to him and wrapped around his body to tell him it was ok and sing to him Harry had not believed it. It had taken several times before Harry got used to it. Every time his uncle beat him or his aunt forgot to feed him again and he thought he couldn't go on Kadian was always there to tell him it was ok.

Eventually Harry got used to the feeling of flying and took in his surroundings. They were high up above the clouds so the only thing to really look at was the sky but it was beautiful all the same. Hagrid landed them in an alley near a familiar looking pub. Even though he already knew about the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, Harry still had to appear surprised for Hagrid. Thankfully it wasn't that hard since the big man wasn't very observant and Harry had a lot of practice acting.

He had already explained to the goblins that he didn't want anyone knowing he had already accessed his vault so they played their part when he went to Gringotts with Hagrid. Hagrid handed the goblin Harry's key and they all climbed into a cart. While Harry and the goblin seemed fine with the ride Hagrid looked ready to throw up by the time they got to the vault. Harry went in and did his best to look impressed by something he had seen quite a few times. He gathered some coins and let Hagrid explain the money system to him again. Once everyone was back in the cart they went a little further down and Hagrid got out this time. He only opened the door enough for him to go in grab whatever was in there and then he shut it again. All Harry saw was a small brown package that he decided not to worry about.

They walked back out to the bustling street when Hagrid asked if Harry would mind if he took a breather at the pub. Harry told him not to worry about it and that he would get his wand and robes while Hagrid was resting. The larger man grinned and thanked Harry before pointing out the Olivander's wand shop and Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions.

Mr. Olivander he found to be slightly creepy. But was interested in what the man had to say about his wand being the brother of Lord Voldermorts. He also bought a book on cleaning and maintaining his wand. Madam Malkin on the other hand was just a bit over motherly but other then that he didn't have a problem getting his robes. He decided that he might as well pick up some everyday robes to create the appearance that he was taken care of by his relatives. While he was waiting for his robes he met another boy who was going to Hogwarts, his name was Draco Malfoy. They talked for a little while but it quickly became clear that Draco was more than a bit of a snob and that Harry was still too unsure of himself.

He found Hagrid waiting outside the robe shop and they continued on together to the next store. At Flourish and Blotts he bought all his schoolbooks with a few extras that he had been meaning to get anyways. The apothecary was one of Harry's favorite places so they spent extra time there and got plenty of the ingredients he would need as well as all his school required equipment. He decided it would be a good time to get a new Owl Order Catalogue.

As they where passing the pet store Hagrid stopped suddenly and told Harry that he would get him a pet for his birthday. Harry told him that it wasn't necessary and that he should talk to his relatives first but Hagrid had already pushed him into the shop and was looking around by then. There were a lot of different animals and Hagrid suggested an owl since they were so useful but Harry said he would rather study then write letters.

Harry found a kitten in a corner of the store chasing a dust ball around. He thought the cat was cute and bent down to pet it. The kitten jumped when he touched it and spun around to hiss at him. Harry just smiled at the gray fur ball in front of him. He picked the kitten up and took him to Hagrid. Hagrid smiled at the kitten and asked if that was the one he wanted. When Harry nodded they went up to the counter and paid.

Hagrid dropped Harry off in front of his house and left saying he would see Harry on September 1st, the start of school. Harry waved goodbye to him and went inside. He put his things in his cupboard and made sure the kitten was asleep on his bed. He told Kadian watch over her then went to meet his uncle. He knew his uncle was waiting for him in the basement. The beating lasted the rest of the day and well into the night, his uncle only stopped when he was too exhausted to lift his fist anymore. Harry was left to lie in his own blood while his uncle went back upstairs for a shower and some rest. The beatings were more often then before but he no longer had to do chores and was locked in the cupboard the rest of the time. He got to study though which he was thankful for. He managed to read all of his books by the time he was supposed to go to Platform 9 ¾. His relatives happened to be going shopping for Dudley on the same day so they dropped him off near the train station. Kadian told him that Platform 9 ¾ was in-between platforms 9 and 10. All he had to do was walk through the stone wall and he would be there. Trusting to Kadian Harry walked through the wall and up to the big red train that was the Hogwarts Express.

All around the platform teary-eyed parents were saying their goodbyes to anxious students. Harry was a little nervous since he had never been around so many people. He decided the best thing to do would be to get on the train and find an empty compartment. Most of the compartments had people in them but near the back he found an empty one. Putting his trunk away he took out a potions book and began to read. It was a while before he felt the train start to leave and then there was a knock on his door. Three boys, two older and one younger, with red hair opened the door and introduced themselves.

"Hello there, I'm George…"

"…And I'm Fred…"

"…And this is our little brother Ron."

"We were wondering if you…"

"…Would mind him sitting here."

Harry blinked as the twins finished their little speech. He looked at Ron and saw his face go red with embarrassment. He had wanted to be alone for the ride but seeing as how the train was probably full he agreed. Ron stuck his hand out and introduced himself.

"Thanks. I'm Ron Weasely by the way."

"I'm Harry. It's nice to meet you all."

Harry shook the other boy's hand. It was hard for him to remember how to act since the only example he had was of watching his cousin interact with his friends, which was really just his cousin ordering the other boys around. Over the years of being with his relatives Harry had learned to never show his emotions. He reinforced that with his meditation and now even though he knew the other boys were expecting a reaction he didn't know how to show any. It made the others a bit uneasy that his face was blank but soon the older two left and it was just Ron and Harry. Harry sat back down and began to read again while Ron fidgeted for a minute before sitting across from him. The ride was for the most part uneventful though at one point there was a boy that came by looking for his lost toad. Harry continued to read for the rest of the trip so there wasn't much conversation until a bushy haired girl came in looking for the lost toad as well. She happened to walk in right when Ron was trying to show Harry a spell to turn his pet rat Scabbers yellow. Saying that she was muggle-born and that she wanted to see a bit of magic she invited herself in and sat down with them. Ron seemed suddenly nervous but he said the spell anyways. A yellowish smoke came out of Ron's wand towards Scabbers but all it did was lift him into the air for a moment then land him back down with a small thud.

"Are you sure you said it right? I've tried out a few simple spells for myself and they all worked for me. Are you sure that's a real spell?"

The bushy haired girl, who introduced herself as Hermione, badgered Ron until he was red in the face. Harry decided to ignore them both and kept on reading. Ron was quiet for the rest of the ride after his embarrassing first attempt at the spell. Hermione on the other hand wouldn't stop talking. She kept going on and on about which books she had read in particularly about Hogwarts a History and how she expected the school to be.

Eventually though the train made it to the Hogsmead station and everyone got ready to leave. They where told to changed into their school robes and leave their trunks aboard. Making their way off the train they headed with all the other first years to a large man by a bunch of boats. Harry didn't really want to be around the talkative girl anymore so he got on a boat at the back that was almost full. There was a dark haired boy, a girl with white-blonde hair and a boy with sandy blonde hair already in the boat. They just had time for introductions before the boat started off. The others introduced themselves as Blaise Zambini, Tyne Morgaen and Mitchell Bryce. When Harry introduced himself he got varied reactions. Blaise looked interested, Tyne looked surprised and Mitchell gasped slightly.

All of the boats started moving through the water towards the castle of Hogwarts. There were gasps and exclamations from almost every boat. Hogwarts was amazing. They had just gone under a bridge and on the other side the castle rose out of the night sky to dominate their view. It was amazing to say the least. They all got out of their boats and followed the man, which turned out to be Hagrid, up to a large door. Hagrid banged on the door three times and then stepped back as the door swung open to reveal a rather stern looking older woman.

"The first years Professor."

"Thank you Hagrid. If you would all follow me and line up in the hall. That's it there we go. Now I'm going to call your names alphabetically and when your name is called I want you to come out to the Great Hall to be sorted."

The woman ushered them all into a hall and had them line up. Everyone was slightly afraid since they didn't know what was going to happen but the stern woman seemed to know that. She soothed most of the children with her calm voice. She left them for a moment to make an announcement to the Great Hall and then started calling their names. The first person to go was a blond girl and she was sorted into Hufflepuff. The tables all started clapping but one table was definitely louder then the rest and it was to that table that she went. A few more students were sorted before Harry recognized one of them. It was one of the boys he had sat with on the boat. Mitchell Bryce was sorted into Ravenclaw. The bushy haired girl, Hermoine Granger, from the train was the next person he recognized, she was also sorted into Ravenclaw. After that were several other names before the boy who was looking for his toad was called. His name was Neville Longbottom and he was sorted into Hufflepuff. The boy he had met in Madam Malkin's robe shop was soon up. Draco Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin almost before the hat touched his head. Next was the only girl that had been on the boat, Tyne Morgaen was sorted into Slytherin. Soon after that it was Harry's turn to be sorted. He walked up to the stool, sat down and put the hat on.

**'What an interesting mind you have Mr. Potter. Nothing like I expected. Hmm…well it seems you're not very suited for Hufflepuff since you are lacking in the trust and loyalty areas. Gryfindor seems out of the question as well. It looks like you would do well in Ravenclaw. You have a thirst for knowledge and with what you already know you could be great there. But you also seem to be able to go to Slytherin. You have great cunning and you would fit in well with the serpent house though I'm not sure you would like the result. If I put you in that house you would most likely have no friends. Others would only see you as evil and some would never be able to see past that. But the decision is for you to make.'**

_'Well I've never minded how others saw me before. I don't really have any need of friends either. I do like learning though. I want to know as much as I can so that I can protect myself. Whichever house you think will help me accomplish that is the one I want.'_

**'It had better be…'**

TBC…Well what do you think? Is it getting better? Sorry for the cliffhanger but I really wanted to get everyone's opinion for where Harry should be sorted. Please try and base your answers off of how he has been raised and how he acts. Thank you for your input and reviews.


	4. Ravenclaw

**Escape**

A/N: I noticed that I made the mistake of putting Tyne in Ravenclaw. She is actually in Slytherin sorry about the mix-up. Oh and I'm having them arrive on Sunday so they begin a full week of classes right away.

Summary: Harry is sent to live with his relatives who end up abusing him. On a trip to London he meets a snake that tells him about the magical world. The snake decides to stay with him and becomes his Guardian.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Talking"

-Speaking Parsletounge- -Mind Speaking Parsletounge- 

'_Thoughts'_

_Last Chapter_

'_Well I've never minded how others saw me before. I don't really have any need of friends either. I do like learning though. I want to know as much as I can so that I can protect myself. Whichever house you think will help me accomplish that is the one I want.'_

**'It had better be…'**

Chapter 4: Ravenclaw

**'…Ravenclaw!'**

There was loud clapping at the Ravenclaw table and disappointed sighs from the Gryfindors but they ended with clapping as well. Harry stood up and made his way to his House table and sat down at the end next to Mitchell who had saved him a seat. Several people greeted him and then they went back to watching the rest of the sorting. Although he wasn't used to this much attention Harry made short replies to all of his new house mates. Soon it was time for the boy who had sat next to him on the train to be sorted. Ron was sorted into Gryfindor where it looked like the rest of his family had also been placed. Not long after that it was Blaise's turn to be sorted and he was sent to Slytherin. Tyne had left room for him to sit next to her and he took the spot at the end of the table.

Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and made his speech as soon as Blaise had sat down since he was the last person to be sorted. The speech seemed to be along the same lines as it was every year judging from the faces of the older students. Mostly it was about the students not allowed to enter the forbidden forest and no magic in the halls and apparently a man named Argus Filch had a list of everything banned from the school posted on his doors. Since the older students didn't seem concerned about this Harry figured he could read the list and avoid infractions pretty easily. What caused some muttering and quiet debate was when the Headmaster declared that one of the third floor corridors was off limits under the pain of death. The food appeared after the Headmaster finished speaking. Harry mimicked his friends and put some food on his plate. He made sure that everyone else had started eating before taking a bite of food. It seemed that the food was supposed to last for a while so Harry made sure to eat slowly. Kadian was around his neck whispering to him. The snake told him not to worry too much because the school was nothing like his relatives house. It took a while but he was able to convince Harry that no one was going to punish him at the school.

After eating most of his food Mitchell asked what Harry thought of Hogwarts so far. He told him that it was a bit overwhelming. Mitchell laughed but said that he agreed. They continued talking about what they had done to prepare for their upcoming schooling. Harry said he had been studying mostly from books since his relatives were muggles. Mitchell nodded his head in sympathy and asked which books he had used. He also offered to help Harry catch up in any area he needed. They agreed to help each other and decided to meet in the library after classes the next day to set up a study schedule. In the end they decided to invite both Blaise and Tyne since they had seemed nice on the boat.

They had ended up getting so caught up in their talk that they didn't notice when everyone else stood up to leave. A first year that was sitting next to them had to nudge Mitchell to get their attention. Mitchell and Harry stood up and decided to tell Blaise and Tyne about meeting in the library. After they all agreed on a time Mitchell and Harry said their goodnight's and then headed off with the rest of their house to Ravenclaw tower while the other two headed off with the rest of the Slytherins. It took them a while to get to their tower since they had to go to the other side of the castle. The prefects led them to a portrait of a beautiful woman. She had long black hair that was draped over her shoulder's, her skin was so pale it blended with the moonlight streaming in through her window. She was sitting in a room with only the window for light; everything was cast in shadows that seemed to move about. When she asked for the password her voice was so soft and musical you instantly relaxed at the sound of it.

The prefects told them the password and they all entered. The common room had a huge fireplace against one wall with two plush couches in front of it. Along the wall on each side of the fireplace was an overstuffed chair. Through out the room were various other chairs and a few desks for studying. Everything was decorated in shades of blue with gold highlights through-out. On the walls were shelves full of books and reference material. All the students thought it was a perfect place to study. The Prefects led them through the common room and pointed out two staircases which they said led to the dormitories. They also introduced the first years to their Head of House Professor Filius Flitwick who welcomed them to the Ravenclaw House. He also told them that the dorms were separated by sex and year so the first years had the first floor while second years had the one above that and so on. The girls section was on the right hand side while the boys were on the left. Before he let them go he told them that they could go to him with any problems and that they could also go to the Prefects since that was part of their duties.

They split into two groups, one of boys and the other of girls, and were shown to their rooms. When they got to the first year area they were told to pick a roommate since there were two to a room. It was explained that they got to pick their own roommate since that was who they would share their room with for the next seven years. Harry and Mitchell quickly paired up and were told to pick their room since they were done first. They picked the one farthest from the common room but closest to the showers. Leaving the other first years to sort themselves out they entered the room and set about organizing their things.

There were two four poster beds decorated in blue shades with gold trimming much like the common room. The beds were on either side of the door with the headboards against the wall they had just entered from. A long table pushed up against the far wall with empty bookcases on both sides. The two boys looked around and decided they liked it. They immediately set to work filling up the bookcases and setting their things on the table. When they were done with that they put their clothes away in the wardrobes that sat against the wall at the foot of each bed. With all of their things put away they spent the next hour going over their course books and each others notes. When they were fairly certain they had a basic understanding of their new classes they climbed in bed and went to sleep.

It was an entirely new experience for Harry. He was surprised by how good it felt to know that he was prepared for classes and that he wouldn't have to make up excuses through out the year about bruises or broken bones. He would finally get a chance to see what it was like to be normal. Well as normal as he could get anyway. The next morning he got up at five like normal and started his morning routine. He sat and meditated for a while and then quietly went through his exercises. When he was done he went and jumped in the shower and then sat at the table to study until Mitchell woke up. It was about a half an hour after he started studying when Mitchell got up. He seemed surprised to see Harry already up but shrugged it off and got in the shower himself. Once Mitchell was done in the bathroom they set off for the Great Hall to get some breakfast.

As they finished eating their House Head came by handing out class schedules. They noticed that most of their classes were with Slytherin though they did have two with Hufflepuff and one with Gryffindor.

* * *

Time-----------Mon, Wed, Fri----------------Tue, Thu, Sat 

9:00-11:00---Potions- with Slytherin---------Charms- with Slytherin

11:20-1:20---Herbology- with Slytherin------Care of Magical Creatures- with Hufflepuff

1:20-2:20----Lunch--------------------------Lunch

2:20-3:20----History- with Slytherin---------History- with Slytherin

3:40-5:40----Transfiguration- with Hufflepuff---Defense Against the Dark Arts- with Gryffindor

* * *

Since Sunday was the only day they had off they were going to use it to rest and only study if they really needed to. They decided that since most of their classes were with Slytherin that they could study and finish homework with Tyne and Blaise after classes. With that decided they went to their first class which was Potions. 

On the way to the dungeons they got lost and ran into a group of Slytherins. It looked like they were all first years and Harry decided to ask for directions since they were going to the same place. Recognizing the blond boy in the front of the group as the same boy he had met while getting his robes he spoke to him.

"Would you mind giving us directions to the Potions classroom please?"

The blond boy sneered at him but before he could answer Blaise and Tyne came up behind the group and greeted them. When Tyne saw what was going on she took matters into her own hands and asked the Ravenclaws if they would like to walk to class together. The Slytherins were shocked to say the least. It was a well known fact that the Morgaen family had very strong ties to the Dark Lord and here was the family's only daughter inviting the Boy-Who-Lived to class.

Harry knew exactly was wrong from his lessons with Kadian. The snake had gone through the mark on his chest this morning so that he could be there in case something like this happened. He reassured Harry that he was doing everything right and that it would be best if he could dispel the notion of him being the Light's golden boy as early as possible. These Slytherins seemed the perfect place to start with that.

Blaise suggested that they all start walking since they would be late if they stood there for much longer. It seemed that was all it took for the other Slytherins to get themselves under control and the group started off again. Harry nodded his thanks to the two and started a discussion on what type of potions they would be most likely to learn in their first year. Some of the Slytherins seemed surprised at his knowledge and willingness to talk to them but soon got over it and soon their discussion turned into a friendly debate. They soon made it to the classroom and all of them sat near each other so that they could continue the debate until class started.

They were all so involved with the topic that none of them noticed people staring at them or the fact that the Professor was standing in the doorway watching them. Soon though they began to feel the eyes on them and stopped talking. Most of the Slytherins paled slightly when they caught sight of their Head of House. The man stood watching them still with a calculating look in his eyes. As everyone quieted though he went to the front of the classroom and introduced himself. He flicked his wand at the chalk board and it filled up with notes that they were told to copy. With one last look around the classroom to make sure everyone was writing he went back to his thoughts.

It was rare for him to find students that were as knowledgeable as the group that had been talking when he walked in the classroom. They were discussing material years ahead of where they should be especially considering it was there first day of school. He decided to test them on their knowledge and if they were that advanced then he would assign them more appropriate material to work on. As the class drew to an end he asked the group to stay behind. When everyone else had left he started questioning them. When it became clear that they all understood the material he told them that they would be working on more advanced material during class and as such they would have their own work area. He told them to write their names on a list and come back when classes ended to take a placement test so he would know exactly where they were.

Once they all left he took the list back to his desk and waited for his next class. It surprised him that Harry Potter was on the list but he decided that he needed to re-evaluate his opinion of the boy. He obviously wasn't his father, James Potter had been adequate at best in potions and there was no way he was anywhere near his Ravenclaw son in intelligence. Severus Snape shook thoughts of the man he had hated away and decided that Harry must have taken after his mother more than anyone thought. With that he looked at the rest of the names on the list and wasn't surprised that the rest were all Purebloods. Blaise Zabini, Tyne Morgaen, Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Nathan Moon, Lisa Turpin and Su Li were all on the list as well. It would be an interesting year with so many students showing such aptitude though he would still wait for the placement tests to set any material.

TBC…

Yay!! I did it, finally! I finally finished this chapter. I am so sorry for how long it took but I lost interest in the story for a while and just couldn't get into it enough to write anything. I think I will be able to get more chapters out at a better pace now though. Thank you so much for your patience.


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